Martinsburg gazette. (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1886-1887, 1887-01-07

/ I0A0 L4G D.NI
/ Take the baby
Certainly, said. You cant bear
the sight Of him, and / love him. And
then if ever you marry again
I shall never marry again, he said,
| the gloom settling IN his eyes.
81 don't believe you will" ex-
claimed. II don't believe there's the
woman living who will ever take such
an unnatural, wicked father, for her hus-
band! Louie's own child, too, and the
| very image of her. wonder what she'd
| think Of yon!r And snatched the baby
| up out of the cradle, and ran from the
room, lest should break out crying be-
fore his face.
The next afternoon when Dennis came
in from his work. he went aud made.
himself all nice, and changed his clothes,
and came down to where stood in the
side-door with the baby in/ my arms.
looking at the sunset. And he stopped
to take the child; and the little darling
turned, with low, frightened cry, and
hid his face Ia my neck. And thin, all
at once the tears that hadn't seen Dem
mis- cry in all this time, gushed out, and
he put his arms around the child. who
began to scream with terror; and as
half turned and maintained my own hold,
he took him forcibly away from me.
Let goln he said, in his low, half
smothered tone. He's my child I"
81 suppose he is! cried. by some
wicked form of law, the cruel law that
men made for men. But you don't de-.
serve him.
Inever was SO angry. Il thought /
would take my things and go away that
moment. But how could leave the,
baby2 His little screams were torturing
me then. set down on the door-stone,
and flung my apron over my head, and
put my thumbs in my ears, and wished
the baby and I were dead along with
Louie.
Perhaps it was an hour aftceward
when Hooked UP, and there was Dennis
coming through the orchard with the
baby, and the boy was Growing and
jumping and catching at the bending
bonghs, AMI catching at his fathers
great mustache, and rubbing his little
wet lips all over Dennis's face. chirrup-
ing and joyous; and couldn't help it,
[ ran to meet them.
You see, said Dennis, as he let me
have him back, blood is thicker than
water. after all Z
Oh! what a long journey Igfelt as il
that baby had been on asI took him and
could hardly have done kissing him.
"Come, said Dennis, laughing,
ssIeave something of him for me. =
Itwas the first time he had laughed
since that child was born. And the dar-
ling had gone long journey--a journey
into the infinite depths of fathers
heart.
Well, after that, Dennis couldn't get
home early enough in the afternoon, and
it seemed as if he hated to 60 away In
the morning, and Sundays he had the
baby in his arms from morning till night.
And in the evenings, whenI sat sewing
on the little clothes, he would come and
sit opposite, or where he could see how
the work wenton and he brought home
all sorts Of little, impossible toys, and
he talked and sang to him, and walked
with him; and the baby began to look
out for his coming as much as did. And
all that, Of course, helped me good deal
in my work about the house. for kept
everything as fine and orderly as honey
comb: only, with the baby to tend and
see to, / sometimes had to sit up nights
to do it.
~ shall call him Louie, for his
mother, said Dennis, one night.
DO vol think you can bear it2n
asked.
ITO hear him called Louie2 Yes. He,
is Louie over again, said Dennis.
And / couldn't tell you how pleasant
life grew to be as we watched the child
grow, unfolding like rose. There was
alb olutely sort of rivalry between US